Israel on Thursday shut down six UNRWA schools that were illegally operating in eastern Jerusalem, the Ministry of Education said.
The move followed a closure notice issued to the schools last month and the Knesset’s decision in October to ban UNRWA from operating within its territory, and for state officials to cooperate with it, over the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency’s ties to terrorists in Gaza.
The Education Ministry said that the schools were operating “illegally and without a license,” and that the parents of the schoolchildren had been notified over the last months to register their children in other city schools.
The ministry said it will place the children in other Jerusalem schools, and “ensure the immediate and optimal integration of all students.”
Arabs make up nearly 40% of Jerusalem’s million-strong population.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority condemned Israel’s closure of the UNRWA schools.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called the school closures an “assault on children.”
